1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of detergent additive dispensers for use with a laundry appliance having a rotating spin basket.
2. Description of the Prior Art laundry appliances already known in the art are usually mounted at various positions allowing communication with the washing liquid at some point during the course of the wash cycle. Such dispensing devices are frequently mounted either on or in connection with the central agitator post, or along the rim of the basket holding the items to be wash.
Spin basket mountable dispensing devices such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,120 rely on the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the spin basket to transfer the liquid to be dispensed from a first compartment to a second compartment, said liquid then being gravitationally dispensed upon cessation of rotation. Such dispensers, however, are not constructed to accept inlet water from an inlet water source communicating with the interior of the spin basket. The nature of most liquids used in connection with laundry appliances is such that use over a period of time results in deposits of dried, unused liquid accumulating at various places in the devices. Such build-up generally occurs at portions of the device where the flow of liquid is somewhat constricted. If such deposits are not frequently removed by rinsing, accumulation of dried liquid may be such as to completely block the flow channel, resulting in complete failure of the device.
None of the liquid dispensing devices known in the art are constructed to receive water from the water inlet source of the laundry appliance during a post-dispense step of a wash cycle so that the device is rinsed as a part of every complete wash cycle, thereby preventing the build-up of deposits and obviating the deficiencies of the liquid dispensing devices known in the art which must be removed from the laundry appliance and rinsed manually at periodic intervals to prevent such build-up.